When TV shows have a narrow historical focus or make claims that seem a little too bold, it's only right to challenge them and if necessary redress the balance. Such is the case with the US TV series "Man at Arms: Art of War" and its assertions on how ahead of the world was Chinese ironworking.

For the large majority of people living in the Bronze Age to the middle Iron Age, meals were commonly stews, porridges and soups cooked in open pots, probably accompanied by bread. Here, then, are some recipes fit for communal feasting.